Just the Start
by hrselovr101
Summary: "You know, that's the thing Stefan. After all of this, I don't want to be friends anymore." Her words stab him in the chest like a knife. He thought crossing the border to save his brother felt like hell. Caroline standing in front of him, with the moonlight casting a gentle glow on her pale skin and cold eyes, makes that feeling feel so much worse. Post 606.


"You know, that's the thing Stefan. After all of this, I don't want to be friends anymore."

Her words stab him in the chest like a knife. He thought crossing the border to save his brother felt like hell. Caroline standing in front of him, with the moonlight casting a gentle glow on her pale skin and cold eyes, makes that feeling feel so much worse. He feels the passion in her heart—the passion that says "it's your turn to fight for me." And Stefan knows that. He knows that she means more to him than any other person in his life. He knows he was an ass to her every time she wanted to be there for him. And he knows that running away from his feelings for her got him nowhere. He steps closer to her retreating figure and grabs her arm, pulling her into him. He can feel her breath hitch as a look of confusion crosses her face.

"Then tell me what you want," he whispers, his eyes never leaving hers. She brushes her tongue over her lips—those lips he wants to kiss so badly—and looks down at the pavement below her boots before forcing herself to make eye contact with him again. She tries to tug her arm away, but his grasp is too strong.

"What I want? I told you what I want, Stefan. I told you, and you just walked away, just like that," she replies, her voice cracking. She doesn't want to break down in front of him, not here, not now. She tells herself she has to stay strong. Stefan can't know just how much her feelings for him get to her, rip her apart, make her want him more each minute that passes by. She wants to just blink and make him disappear. But she knows he won't. No matter how much distance she puts between them, she knows it'll hurt that much more. So instead, she wants him to fight for her. She wants him to apologize and be the Stefan she remembers and was beginning to love.

It's his turn to sigh. He releases his hold on her, risking the fact that she may walk away. And that's exactly what she does. She leaves him there, lost in his own thoughts, lost trying to figure out how to make so much up to the person he cares so much for. He makes a fist with his hand and watches her frame slowly start to disappear as the distance between them increases with every step she takes.

Caroline wipes a tear away just as its beginning to fall. She tells herself it's her turn to move on. She can't keep trying and getting her heart broken. She can't suffer from any more pain than the pain already inflicted by Stefan. She sees someone race by her, and then he's standing right in front of her. He's breathing heavy, and she notices with every step he's taking towards her, her heart is beating faster and faster. She can't do this any longer. She doesn't want to do this any longer. She doesn't want to put up with him any longer. She needs space. Without much more thinking, she speeds away from him as fast as she can. And she finds herself in an alleyway, the perfect place to cry and let everything out. And that's what she does.

Stefan tracks her every move and within seconds, arrives where she is. He pins her to the brick wall and doesn't let her say a word when he knows she will.

"It's my turn." And before she can run from him again—which is exactly what she wants to do—he's kissing her. His soft lips are on hers, and he hears her whimper with every movement he makes. She doesn't want to let herself give in to him like this. She doesn't want him to think this makes everything right between them again. Because it doesn't. But everything feels so good. So damn good. She lets him kiss her harder, and she wraps her arms around his neck.

Finally he pulls back, brushing a few strands of her hair away from her blushed face; even in the dark of the night, he can see how flushed she is.

"You and I want the same thing, Caroline. It's just taken me a hell of a lot longer to realize it." Caroline looks up at him and faintly smiles. She knows she's not supposed to forgive him. And she tries her hardest to still be mad. But in that moment, she can't. Instead, all she does is close her eyes and lets her mind remember the feeling of his lips on hers. And when she opens them, he's gone. Just like that. But she knows he's not running away. He's ready to make everything up to her. He's ready to make things right again. This was only just the start.


End file.
